Let's take a quick review of basic arm structure before we go into particulars of actual workout routines. The bicep is the round, two-headed muscle situated on the front of the upper arm. The rear of the upper arm consists of a three-headed muscle called the tricep. The following tips will help you build size and strength in your arms. Work your arms once a week and train your biceps before your triceps.

It's essential to warm-up well because you'll be training heavy.

1. For the first set do twelve reps with a weight that you could probably do 20 with, but stop at twelve.

2. Add 20 pounds or so and do eight reps for the second warm up set.

Next, do an acclimation set – add more weight but do only three reps. After this, you're ready for your core workout:

1. Incline curls. This is a first-rate stretching exercise for your biceps. It's also great for building a high peak and for carving a deep split in the muscle group. Set the incline at around a forty-degree angle and focus on stretching your biceps as much as possible on the way down. A controlled lift with faultless technique (that is NO wobbling) using only biceps will give your arms a good stretching workout. The elbows should be close to the sides of the body but the dumbbells are curled to a position about 8" to 10" away from the body. Curl the bells towards the shoulders, simultaneously turn the palms of the hands so that they face upwards and complete the curl. Tense the biceps at the top of the movement to ensure a full "peak contraction."

2. Preacher curls. Unlike the calf muscle, the arm has a pivot point. All you have to do is locate the pivot point and contract. But to find that pivot point and to make sure that it contracts to its fullest potential can be difficult. Preacher point benches will help you achieve this. This straightforward tool can isolate your bicep and give you the ideal pivot point that you need.

3. Standing barbell curls. Standing barbell curls with a shoulder-width grip is a splendid workout for blowing up the entire biceps when done properly. From a standing position, with "soft" knees, neutral scapulae, and head/chest up, begin the curl with straight arms and the bar slightly in front of your legs. Keep wrists flat, and do not extend your lumbar spine. Standing dumbbell curls can be done in an alternating fashion or both dumbbells can be curled at the same time, whichever you prefer.

Use the following set and rep format and be sure to use a weight you'll make a great effort with during the last few reps of every set:

5. Cable hammer curls – rope attachment. Fasten a rope attachment to a low pulley. Stand face forwards and about 12 inches away from the machine. Grasp the rope with a palms-in grip and stand straight up. Place your elbows at your side and KEEP them there during the complete movement. Pull your arms up until your biceps touch your forearms, keeping your palms in a facing in position. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

6. Triceps press-downs. This is a superb exercise to clarify all three heads of the triceps. It also serves as an excellent warm up movement for the ligaments and tendons of the elbow. Using a close grip, with the elbows next to the sides, push the bar downwards until the arms are lockout straight, and slowly return the bar to the starting position high on the chest. Repeat for ten reps. To prevent injury, don't go to total lockout. Also, don't overdo press-downs.

7. Use maximal weights. The nervous system is the forgotten element of bodybuilding, and training with maximal weights targets this area by improving the link between the central nervous system and the muscular system. This is what German exercise physiologists refer to as intra-muscular training. By using this technique, you will learn to access a larger percentage of motor units in a given cross-section of muscle tissue.

8. Ice massage. On each arm – just carry on the massage until the cup has completely melted. Concentrate on soft tissue, staying away from bones and joints. Focus on long, deep strokes, going parallel to the muscle fibers of the biceps, triceps and forearms. And yes, this feels totally miserable. However, you need to suck it up and do it.

Always warm up your arms before working out to prevent injury. Once you get into your core exercises, use a full range of motion and go deep. Getting the most out of your efforts requires you to use a full range of motion on exercises that stretch your biceps and triceps. Finish workouts with an isolation exercise.

Supplementing with Creatine should be a key concern when trying to increase the size of your arms – or any muscle group. When Creatine enters a muscle cell, it pulls water and other nutrients along with it, thus enlarging the cell membrane. Selecting the correct workouts and Creatine formula can have an enormous impact on building arms that look like they're going to split open your shirtsleeves.